Improvement in machines for forming hat-bodies



J. WHARTON & I. SURERUS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING HAT BODIES.

Patented March 21, 17878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN WHARTON AND JACOB SURERUS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY; SAID SUBERUS ASSIGNOR TO SAID WHARTON.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR FORMING HAT-Booms.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent N0. 174,99 I, dated March 21, 1876; application filed February 21, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN WHAR'lON and JACOB SURERUS, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain Improvements in Machines for. Forming Hat-Bodies, of whichthe following is a specification:

Our invention relates to machines forforming hat-bodies; and the invention consists of devices arranged with the perforated cone on which the bat is formed, for controlling the currents of air drawn through the cone, and thereby regulating and controlling the deposit of the fur upon the different parts of the cone, so as to make any portion of the bat or hat thicker or thinner at the will of the operator, as hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying our invention, with the outer or perforated cone shown in section, in order to exhibit the internal arrangements. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, and Fig. 3 a transverse horizontal section on the line as w of Fig. 1. Fig. et'represents a modified form of the invention, and Fig. 5 a part detached.

It has long been the custom to form the bats from which felt or fur hats are made'by depositing the fur upon a perforated cone, through which a current of air is drawn by an exhaust-fan, thus drawing the floating fur to and depositing it upon the exterior of the cone.

In making these hats it is desirable to make certain portions of the bat thicker than others, so that when completed the brim and certain other portions of the hat may be thicker than some other portions.

Hitherto it has been customary to attempt to control or regulate the deposit of the fur upon the cone by means of devices of one kind or another arranged within the chamber or case surrounding or above the cone, but none of these efforts-have ever given that perfect control of the deposit of the fur that is desirable, and which it is the object of our invention to give.

In order to accomplish this result we arrange a series of dampers or devices for controlling the current of air within the cone in such a manner that the current may be shut off from various parts of the cone at will, as it is obvious that whenever the airis not permitted to enter or pass through the perforations of the cone at any particular point there will be no deposit of fur at that point, or"comparatively none. This may be do'n'inv'arious ways, and we now proceed to describe those which we consider the simplest and best.

In Fig. 1 is represented the ordinary perforated cone (3, and within which is shown another cone, A, provided with a series of vertical slots, 0, which are arranged in annular series, one above another, there being four series thus shown in the drawing. Within this inner cone A there is arranged a series of annular slides or dampers, D, having perforations or slots corresponding with the slots 0, as shown in section in Fig. 3, and also in Fig. 1, there being one of these rings or dampers D for each of the series of slots in the cone A, so that each series of slots may be closed more or less independently of the others, the rings or slides D operating like registers or dampers to close the openings by sliding or turning them within the cone A, there being projections c on them, as shown in Fig. I, for that purpose. In like manner the top B of this inner cone A is perforated, and has a correspondinglyperforated disk, B, pivoted thereto either on the exterior or interior, as may be preferred, so that by turning it the ingress of the air at the top may be regulated or entirely stopped at will.

At the point of junction of the series or annular row of slots, as shown in Fig. 1, thereis an annular diaphragm, n, which extends from the inner to the outer cone, all around, so as to prevent the air which may enter above or below from passing down or up between the two cones, as it otherwise would when one series of slots was closed and another open. By these means the air-currents can be regulated and controlled with the utmost accuracy and certainty. If, for instance, any one or more of the dampers be partially closed, then the current of air entering at that point, and consequently the deposit of fur, will be decreased just in that proportion so that by adjusting these dampers or valves before commencing the deposit of the fur, or at any time while the deposit is taking place, the thickness of the hat may be graduated and regulated exactly as desired. It is obvious that the perforations in the inner cone and dampers may be of any form and size desired, and that if it be desired to adjust the dampers while the cone is revolving, rods or cords may be arranged to pass down through the circular base I, so as to be operated from the exterior, and made to accomplish that result. So, too, the slides or dampers D, may be arranged on the exterior instead of the interior of the inner cone A, this being a mere matter of choice.

Instead of the plan above described, that shown in Fig. 4 may be adopted, the principle being the same. Instead of the inner cone having the dampers or registers applied to it, the dampers are made of adifferent form, and are applied to the perforated cone direct. In Fig. 4 two dampers are shown, the upper one consisting of a series of plates, r, hinged at their inner ends to a central hub on a shaft, T, that projects up within the cone to any desired height. On this shaft is placed a sliding tube, It, carrying at its upper end a disk, P, which, when the tube is shoved up, bears against the under side of the hinged plates 1, causing them to spread out and assume a horizontal position, thus forming at that pointadiaphragm extending across the interior of the cone, and of course shutting off the entrance of the air at any point above, and stopping the deposit of the fur on the cone above the diaphragm.

Any number of these may be thus arranged at intervals from top to bottom of the cone, thus enabling the operator to stop the deposit at any point desired from the top downward.

In the lower part of Fig. 4 is shown a modification of this style of damper, it consisting of two or more plates, L, hinged to the central support, and having attached curved rods n, by which they may be adjusted and secured at any desired angle, thus shutting off the aircurrent above more or less, as may be desired. By raising them to the position shown in dotted lines, the inflow of air would be nearly or quite all stopped irom that point upward, and consequently the fur would be deposited only at a point below the horizontal dotted line, thus forming a thickened deposit around the lower portion, which would form the lower portion of the crown and the brim of the hat, when completed, or the brim alone, according to the height at which the damper L should be located within the cone.

As the support I is arranged to rotate upon a fixed base in the hat-forming machines, it is obvious that the central shaft and the sliding tube may be extended down within the case, and have levers connected thereto projecting outside of the base, so that they may be raised or lowered, and the dampers be thereby adjusted at will while the cone is rotating. So, too, the inner cones, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be made stationary instead of being arranged to rotate with the outer cone, if desired, which will facilitate the attachment of devices for operating or adjusting the dampers while the outer cone is rotating, these being matters of detail, to be varied as desired.

By providing a series of detachable rings or annular diaphragins, n, as shown in Fig. 5, and of various widths, which can be set on the stationary rings or diaphragms 'n, it will be seen that a variety of diflerent-sized outer cones, (3, may be used with the'one-sized inner cone, and thus one inner cone and set of dampers or registers may be used to form all the difl'erent sizes of bats or bodies for hats.

It is also obvious that our invention is equally applicable to the manufacture of felt skirts, and all similar articles where the fur or fibrous material is deposited upon an exhaust cone or former of any shape or style; and while we have used the conventional term of fur, as is ordinarily done in speaking of hats, we do not wish to be understood as confining our invention to the exclusive use of that material at all, as it is obviously applicable, wherever any fibrous material is to be deposited by an exhaust current upon a perforated former. Neither do we limit ourselves to any particular form of dampers, nor to the special arrangements shown, as it is obvious that they may be modified in various ways with out departing from the principle of our invention, which is, broadly, the regulating of the deposit of the fiber upon the cone, by

controlling the current of air entering the same by means of dampers orregulating devices located within the perforated cone.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is-- 1. The combination of a perforated cone and one or more dampers, located within the same, for regulating the deposit of fur, wool, or other material on the cone, substantially as described.

2. The internal perforated or slotted cone A, provided with a series of dampers, arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. An adjustable diaphragm, composed of a series of hing (1 plates, 1', located within a hat-forming cone, 0, constructed to operate substantially as described.

4. The hinged platesL, having the rods n attached, in combination with the perforated or hat-forming cone 0, the whole being arranged to operate substantially as described.

5. The shaft or support T, having the plates 1 hinged thereto, in combination with the sliding tube R, provided with the plate P, or equivalent device for adjusting said plates, substantially as set forth.

JOHN WHARTON. JACOB SURERUS. Witnesses:

J AS. L. MARSH, E. E. BOND. 

